As the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) continues its appeal of an August Texas district court ruling requiring it to start registering clones and their offspring, a coalition of organizations including the American Kennel Club, The Jockey Club and the Cat Fanciers Association has voiced their support, filing an amici curiae brief.

Each entity involved in the motion provides breed registry services for animals and serves as an information clearinghouse for owners and persons interested in these animals. New Orleans attorneys Phillip Wittman and Lesli Harris filed the legal document on the new coalition’s behalf.

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Great Resolve (Einstein)Great Resolve, a.k.a. Einstein, died Thursday, Jan. 2, due to complications from colic surgery. Though he will be greatly missed, his legacy will continue to thrive throughout the horse industry even in his absence.

In the past three weeks, more than $6 million has been given out in the reining and cutting horse industries at two major events – the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity and the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity. When you add in the nearly $1 million that the National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) gave away at its Snaffle Bit Futurity, you wind up with three shows paying out nearly $7 million. That’s a lot of money!

Buttermilk and I have been going to some “weekend” shows. It has been like high school homecoming – a comfortable thing, seeing old friends and making new ones. There are two and one-half minutes in the herd, but 24 hours in a day. It is all about the two and a half, but it would be not near as much fun without all the rest – loading before daylight, watching the sun come up, Allsup’s coffee, saddling, hanging chaps, bridles and war bag on your horse. Once your feet are on show dirt, all is right with the world.

Michael Schumacher led his team into the arena during the 2013 RHSF A Slide To Remember.National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) member and Formula One Champion Michael Schumacher suffered a skiing accident Sunday, Dec. 29, in the French Alps and remains in critical condition. Schumacher and his wife, Corinna, are heavy supporters of the NRHA European Futurity and reining in Europe, and Michael was recently part of the RHSF Slide to Remember held at the 2013 NRHA Futurity & Adequan North American Affiliate Championship Show.

Brian Bell • Photo courtesy of NRHA/Bucky HarrisNational Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Professional Brian Bell racked up more than $35,000 in official earnings at this year’s NRHA Futurity after qualifying his stallions Footwork Revolution and Memorable Revolution, owned by Wagner & Vandorp, to the Level 4 Open finals. That total brought his 2013 earnings to more than $86,000, and boosted him over the one million dollar earnings plateau. Currently, Bell has $1,023,590 in NRHA Lifetime Earnings.

This week it's all about you. We are wrapping up another year and on the downhill run to 2014. What changes do you want to make next year? What frustrated you about your performance this year? What mistakes did you make? Did you make them more than once? What did you do well? Did you do it again? What could you have done differently to get a better outcome?

Colonels Smart Spook, ridden by Jordan Larson, helped his sire, Smart Spook, pass $2 million in offspring earnings • photo by WaltenberrySmart Spook reached another milestone in his career by becoming the National Reining Horse Association’s (NRHA) 13th Two Million Dollar Sire. Helping him reach this milestone was his son Colonels Smart Spook, owned by Sally Amabile and shown by NRHA Professional and Million Dollar Rider Jordan Larson. Colonels Smart Spook won the World Championship Shootout held during the NRHA Futurity.

Last month I addressed the sales model of the show/performance industry and how lowering the standard commission would help producers and encourage growth. That’s one step. But there are many more steps we need to take along the way, as we continue along a road where we are constantly sideswiped by the marketplace’s shrinking base.

Economically and demographically, we’re not where we were 10 years ago. And yet our business model is still chugging ahead as though it’s a decade back.